Autumn's Melodies
by neversaynever15
Summary: HitsuHina AU. Attending a music camp/program in the autumn of New York City. Chaptered. The season of fall brings on romance between Hitsugaya and Hinamori, long-time friends looking to enjoy each others presence/re-spark the closer friendship they once had with the opportunity to participate in a piano program leading up to a fierce piano competition.


Hitsugaya sat tensely in the middle of the empty apartment. He was accustomed to a furniture-less room; his new living quarters no different to his own back home, but felt something about the room preventing him from sleeping. He rolled onto his back in frustration of having been unable to get a minute's worth of sleep in the past 3 days and lied face-forward to the ceiling. Blinking his eyes several times to rid the powerful headache that'd taken his mind over. Rain beating his window outside.

It'd been a while since the other boys of the camp all returned back to their own rooms from the opening party and cleared out from their guardians that'd just took place 2 hours ago. The music's bass still pounding in his head, Hitsugaya tried to massage his temples on either side of his forehead.

"This is why I hate parties." He spoke to himself. Then moving his hand from his temple to rest atop his eyes.

He wore a thick sleeveless tank top, colored dark blue and light multi-pocketed khaki shorts.

"Maybe now I can get some shut-eye."

Indeed, for the past week, Hitsugaya had been tirelessly going back and forth, packing luggage, filing paperwork, anything and everything to better prepare for his admission into the prestigious music camp. Yet now that he was finally accepted into said camp, he couldn't manage a wink of sleep in his stress.

2 faint knocks came to his door. Hitsugaya groaned instantly and turned to his side. Almost thinking to dismiss it when several more knocks impatiently came.

"The party's over. Don't start playing jokes!" He shouted laying sprawled on the floor until heaving himself up. Pressing fingers to boost himself up.

"I-It's me! Shiro-chan!" A shrilly voice issued.

Hitsugaya would've known the voice anywhere, the additional 'Shiro-chan' was unnecessary to him.

"Hinamori?" He questioned in response.

"Ah! Yes, Shiro-chan! It's me." Hinamori said with noticeably less fear in her tone.

Hitsugaya made his way towards the door, unlocking it in the process and then shift-turrned the doorknob, opening it just past his frame.

"Hinamori-kun.. What's wrong?" Hitsugaya asked while scanning her clothing. She wore pastel pink pajama pants and a matching 3/4 sleeved button up blouse, a small beaded necklace around her neck. Swooped bangs and her hair let down from her usual bun, most of it behind her shoulders and only a segment of silky brown hair allowed to the front. Her eyes cast to the floor as she spoke to him and her hands intertwined at the hem of her blouse.

"I-I don't know. Nothing.. no... I mean, I can't sleep." Hinamori fumbled in her words, shaking her head as she tried to come up with what to tell him so to avoid annoying him.

She took a moment to look up at him, and then fell when she caught his full of annoyance.

"..I'm sorry." She croaked, feeling a lump in her throat and shifting her eyes back to the floor.

When the door moved even further back and the boy in front of her came in contact with her fingers, suddenly pulling her by the tips of several into the safety of his apartment. Hinamori's eyes widening at his surprisingly soft grip.

"You shouldn't wait; standing out there." He declared simply after getting her out of the apartment complex's dimly-lit hallway.

"Oh." Was all that she could utter, feeling as though her hands had been graced by his touch. Feeling blush stain her cheeks, she used her free hand to hover over her now rosy-toned cheeks, grinning in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Hitsugaya-kun!"

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize, just tell me how I can help."

Hinamori nodded and took a seat on the floor, Hitsugaya looked at her with question but followed her action, taking a seat straight across from her; looking her in the eye.

Hinamori cringed a bit, but retained her posture,

"I don't know, I just wanted to be around you. I didn't get to see or talk to you much at the opening party." Hinamori started,

"I can't even believe your awake right now, after procrastinating so long to get your paperwork in!"

"I wasn't procrastinating! I just got held up by someone I'd rather not mention right now. Damn that woman!" Hitsugaya grumbled defensively.

A smile pulled at Hinamori's lips, "I'm glad you could make it! There's not anyone else I would rather want to go through this camp with."

Hitsugaya felt a tinge in his heart when discovering her smile, the frustration he had with the other woman, Matsumoto, settling in his stomach as he forgot his worries with the happily curved line of her lips.

"The money better have been worth it. But we'll make this trip a good one, for us."

She giggled-finally at ease with the conversation.

"I hope so, Shiro-chan."

They sat for a while, questioning about what the other packed, where they'd go for breakfast the next morning, what type of schedule's they had in mind for the rest of the week; sweet friendly conversation only long-time friends could share. They were both sprawled on the floor now; on their backs, side by side, gazing at the ceiling.

"You've gotta be tired. It's way past midnight." Hitsugaya cut in after a brief, although comfortable, silence.

"Honestly..." She waded, turning to face him. "I'm not really tired at all."

He glared at her in disbelief, resulting in her giggling again. "You can't be serious! It's probably 2 am by now!"

"Oh you're in for a serious surprise, it's a little past 3." She corrected with the confirmation of her wristwatch, a playful smile emerging at her lips. Hinamori pulled an elbow up to keep facing him as she laid on her side.

Hitsugaya's questioning glare went unwavering even still, until he gave a final heavy sigh.

"Alright, I'll stay up too. Don't really have a choice anyway with this blasted insomnia."

Hinamori almost clapped her hands together in delight. She could really see to a bright next 2-3 weeks with Hitsugaya in the picture.

"Do ya think we could stay up until breakfast!?"

"That's silly!" He objected, flailing his arms on the floor as if he was making a snow angel (or in this case: carpet angel)

"No! I've stayed up tons of times before! Unless you're too chicken to do it, I don't see why not!" She argued,

"Tomorrow's not even an actual practice day. Besides, we've got heaps of time at this camp, 2-3 weeks in this apartment!" She eyed him fiercely, not planning to let it go.

"That's not healthy! You should really keep your sleep schedule on-track, it's not good for you at all to be staying up all day! Besides, are _**you**_ sure you can stay up that long, not considering your past, but for today?"

Hinamori quieted at this and then came the roar, "O-Okay Hitsugaya-kun. You be a loser crybaby party-pooper!" and added a hmph! at the end. For good measure.

Hitsugaya full-on gawked at her, with emotion stronger than the disbelief he shed on her just minutes ago.

"W-what's gotten into you?! Quit acting like a two-year-old!" he voiced booming with anger, piercing eyes into hers; taking in her surprised, disheartened reaction. In those short seconds, her entire mood dramatically dropped, her stomach flip-flopped; and the smile wiped off her face, replaced with a disdain frown.

"Ah." He sighed. "You know what really makes me wonder? Whenever you became that big of a sucker for sarcasm." His tone all a sudden joking like and piercing glare reduced to a soft stare.

Hinamori's eyes widened and mouth expanded into a large grin, showcasing all her pearly whites.

"SHIRO-CHAN!"

Her arms flailed to encase his head in her grip, hugging his head to her chest. An almost loving essence behind the amorosity with her reddened cheeks and closed eyes. His expression still irkily humored.

When she flung her hands from their tight hold around his neck, suddenly grinding her knuckles into his white hair; 'noogying' his head.

"OUUCH!"

The pain was enough to finally get him to properly get off the floor. Grabbing her hands to help himself up; wrestling her for control between her hands and then sending her to gently collapse onto her back while lifting himself on top of her, a foot of distance between their bodies. Hitsugaya had Hinamori pinned down on the floor. His legs situated between her frame and eyebrows knitted together as he intertwined their fingers to extend his control even further.

"Shiro...!"

"You shouldn't have been messing around with me!" in a trying to remain serious he ended up laughing off his stern expression mid-sentence.

"So what, you want me to apologize?!" She mimicked his serious tone with a wide smile looking at him from the floor.

"No." He answered simply.

"So what now? You're going to keep me prisoner?"

Hitsugaya beaded eyes into her and dropped his jaw open, as if not sure of what to answer.

"I suppose I can't." his voice quiet yet deep, and a bit of disappointment leaking through. He shifted his eyes away from her, but reset his gaze when he (thought) heard a whimper from Hinamori.

"Well I guess I'll answer you now, I became a sucker for sarcasm around the same time you became a weakling!" And with a quick bat of her eyelashes, she tried to overpower him for control, stiffening her fingers and pushing herself off of him.

Alas, it ended futile. He didn't budge.

"Yeah, I'm definitely the weakling!" laughing at her attempt.

Time froze at that moment with their eyes locked and hands strained to the floor, fingers still intertwined in another's.

And since he wasn't ON top of her, (he was hovering just so that awkwardity could be avoided) Hinamori actually did feel a bit lost at what to do next. She couldn't really fight him off in her position and he didn't really look as if he was planning on letting her go anytime soon. But somehow

she wasn't losing patience with the situation; laying on the ground with not much except Hitsugaya's boyish features in view. The least spiky segment of his hair dangling towards her. She could picture the way it'd fall if it came any closer to her, strand by strand shifting together in a dance-like movement. That is, if Hitsugaya decided to close the distance separating their faces, for whatever a reason that she couldn't necessarily come up with at the moment.

And a roar of thunder came from their window before she was permitted any more reserved thought time.

"Woah." She let out, her attention immediately shifting from his unruly hair to the window, just in time to catch a flash of lightning from the insolent line of spaces Hitsugaya's apartment blinds failed to cover.

"Woah is right. I wonder what's in store for tomorrow." He said, looking back at her.

"I should get off you now." He coughed, holding his gaze on her, as if marveling her for the last seconds he'd see her from the angle.

"Um, yeah." She hesitated.

And with a surprise-attack series of booming thunder, Hitsugaya scrambled himself off Hinamori, seating himself across her and pulling a hand to scratch over the back of his head.

"Damn this weather." He grumbled. Recounting the rain that went beating at his window hours ago. All before Hinamori appeared at his door, when his head was filled to burst with stress. Before they'd engaged in conversation for a total of 5 hours. She numbed the pain away, somehow, with her entrance. And Hitsugaya felt thankful.

"It might be light out already. I'm going to check." Hinamori said, pushing herself up easily and straightening out her pajamas.

Light streamed in the second she lifted the blinds to survey the outside.

"Looks like we might be able to get breakfast sooner than I thought." She winked redirecting her gaze back to him.

"Good. I could eat a horse." He muttered, still seated on the carpet.

Her face lit up and a smile curled at her lips.

"We did it. We stayed up the entire night. I can't believe it."

"We better get some caffeine in our systems before we crash and end up sleeping the whole day away."

"Wouldn't that be awful. A sure waste to our first free day."

They sat/stood in silence for a brief moment, until Hitsugaya broke-in.

"We should go out."

And Hinamori's cheeks never reddened more quickly.

Taking notice to her cheeks sudden change of color, Hitsugaya's hand found its place on the back of his head. With no real itch; scratching away aimlessly.

"I meant for breakfast! Go Out! For food!" he exclaimed, red staining his cheeks as well.

Hinamori left the window and returned to stand where she'd sat by him momentarily.

"Sure, Shiro-chan. We've still got an extra day to explore and goof off until the program starts." She replied. "Where to?"  
"I saw a cafe a little less than a block away, maybe they've got some other menu items other than just coffee, we could check around if not."

"We should get changed though, I don't know if they'd be open to randoms still in their pajamas at 6 am."

To that, Hinamori laughed uproariously causing Hitsugaya to stifle his own laugh he felt upcoming.

* * *

So I'll thank my little sister for getting me into writing this pairing by freaking me out with her crazy fangasms to other HitsuHina stories. Because I probably would have never thought to write them, despite their being my OTP #2! without her, honestly. This was really fun to write & I've been planning out this story so much thus far it's ridiculous. It's also falling into place much quicker than my other stories, mostly due to the fact that writing dialogue between Hitsugaya and Hinamori is possibly the easiest thing ever (writing-wise) for me.

Um 5 hours together is a little much, but whatever. I've done it. Time flies by. I like to think they were somehow half-asleep when carrying out their conversation and tackling each other and whatnot.

_But, Actual piano playing happens later. _I put too much focus on their staying up, I should've put more about their program but getting this all out first is better for the relationship.

Ah, well, thank you so much for reading what I have so far. I really hope it was a nice read for you~!

So review, please? :)


End file.
